A surprising flavour combination will knock your socks off! This salad is made with finely shredded cabbage and carrot, tossed with a spiced Indian coconut “sambal” of sorts (in India they might call it a “dry chutney”). Based on the traditional South Indian Thoran dry curries, this is ridiculously delicious!
Thoran-style Indian salad?
Thoran is a staple vegetable-based “dry curry” found in the southern India. It consist of chopped vegetables cooked with grated coconut, curry leaves and is lightly flavoured with turmeric and maybe a couple of other spices.
It can be made with many different vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, okra, onion, natives vegetables, or a mix.
For the past year, I’ve been obsessively making the green bean version – which I will publish one of these days, because it’s so damned good!
But today, I’m sharing a salad version of Thoran, made using a spiced coconut flavour base tossed through a cabbage and carrot salad.
No, it’s not strictly authentic, but the flavours are true. I am using raw vegetables here to introduce freshness to the dish. And it’s absolutely delicious – I would not share such an obscure recipe if I felt it wasn’t exceptional!!
What you need for this Thoran-style Indian Salad
Here’s what you need. Note: the ingredients pictured below are for a double batch of the recipe written below, and all the photos pictured in post are a double batch. I was feeding a crowd! 🙂
The three ingredients that give this a truly authentic Indian flavour are the coconut, black mustard seeds and curry leaves. All three are key ingredients in traditional Thoran, on which this salad recipe is based.
Black mustard seeds – They look like poppyseeds but are fragrant and have a slight horseradish-like bite to them. They’re not spicy, more a fresh zing.
~ $1.50 in small packs at Indian grocery stores – my local is Indian Emporium in Dee Why on the Northern Beaches, Sydney. Also sold in the Indian food section at some Woolworths (Australia) $1.70, and online – it’s a small, light pack so postage should be minimal! Also used in Samosas, Eggplant Curry, Dal and in this Vegetable Samosa Pie which is to-die for!
Curry leaves – I just love the smell of fresh curry leaves. They smell like curry powder, but in fresh curry leaf form! (Though just so you know, curry powder isn’t derived from curry leaves. ) Curry leaves are a staple herb in South Indian / Sri Lankan cooking, and impart an incredible and unique perfume into anything it’s used in.
They’re fairly accessible nowadays for Sydney-siders. They are sold at Harris Farms, most Coles and most Woolworths. They keep for a long time in the fridge – as in several weeks – or can be frozen.
This too is used in Eggplant Curry, Dal and the Vegetable Samosa Pie. Substitute: dried curry leaves (not quite the same, but it’s the best sub) or Garam Masala powder;
Coconut – While fresh is traditional and best, it’s hard to source. I’ve used desiccated coconut here instead. I think it works especially well because it disperses thoroughly throughout the salad. However, larger grated strands would also work well. Be sure to use unsweetened;
Cumin and turmeric – Very common spices used in Indian cooking;
Fresh green chilli – Here I’m using a cayenne pepper. Being a large chilli, it’s not that spicy. This dish isn’t spicy in general – the chilli just gives it a nice background warmth;
Eschalot (USA: shallot) – Those brown baby onion-type alliums which are sweeter and more delicate than regular onions. Can’t find them? Just use more onion instead;
Cabbage and carrot – You’d never expect them to work so well with the coconut and Indian spices, but they do! All those flavours really transform the ordinary into extraordinary!
How to make it
This is a bit of an unusual salad in that it doesn’t involve a liquid dressing that is tossed through fresh greens.
Rather, we are making a cooked, spiced coconut “sambal” of sorts, which is then tossed through finely shredded cabbage and carrot. The heat from the mixture wilts the cabbage and carrot a bit, as well as of course adding all those delightful (and authentic!) Indian flavours!
What to serve Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad with
I find that this salad is flavourful and interesting enough to serve as an excellent and satisfying vegetarian – indeed, vegan – meal. But actually, it was created to serve as a side salad for a menu for Indian Week!
What’s Indian Week, you ask? It’s a week where I am sharing three brand new, iconic Indian recipes to make your very own Indian feast:
Palak Paneer – The famous Indian Spinach Curry with homemade Paneer (cheese!)
Naan – This recipe, FIVE YEARS in the making, is finally here!
Samosas – Oh yes we did … and it’s AMAZING!!!
Cabbage & Carrot Thoran-style Indian Salad – This recipe.
Try serving this salad alongside protein-heavy Indian mains or curries, such as on of these:
Enjoy! – Nagi x
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Cabbage and Carrot Thoran-style Salad (Indian Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil , unrefined (Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp black mustard seeds (Note 2)
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 eschalots (USA: shallots) , finely diced (Note 3)
- 1/2 onion (large), finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 green chilli , deseeded and finely chopped (Note 4)
- 12 curry leaves , fresh (Note 5)
- 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut , unsweetened (Note 6)
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 small red cabbage , very finely sliced (~6 cups)
- 2 small carrots or 1 very large carrot , peeled and finely shredded
Garnish:
- 1/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
Instructions
- Melt oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
- Add black mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds – they will pop and sizzle
- Add cumin seeds and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add eschalot and onion, cook for 3 minutes until translucent but not coloured.
- Add garlic and green chilli, cook for 2 minutes until softened but not golden.
- Add turmeric and curry leaves, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add coconut, water and salt. Cook until water mostly evaporates – about 3 minutes.
- Place carrot and cabbage in a large bowl. Add hot coconut mixture. Toss well – the cabbage should wilt from the heat.
- Taste and check if it needs more salt for your taste.
- Toss through coriander. Serve warm or at room temperature. Best eaten on the day of making. See Note 7 regarding reheating/making ahead.
Recipe Notes:
- Brown mustard seeds
- Yellow mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala (different flavour, but is intended to make up for absence, add with turmeric)
- Dried curry leaves (not quite the same, but it’s the best sub);
- 1 tsp Garam Masala powder (add it with rest of spices).
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer with his friends at the Golden Retriever Boarder’s place. He’s the gold one, ignoring me.
We enjoyed this recipe. I took the leftovers to work over a few days and heat just enough in the microwave to warm the oil. It’s a great slaw for my lunch box. I made a second batch today.
Hey, your recipes are so good, I just made your butter chicken. Unfortunately I’m allergic to coconut, any subs I can try
Hi Jasmine, it’s the coconut that really makes this salad unfortunately – there isn’t really a sub that would be the same here. N x
Oops sorry! That should have been “Makrut”
Curry leaves can be difficult to get where I live so I Googled to find a substitute. Apparently, Magrut Lime leaves (Kaffir lime) can be used. 6 lime leaves to 10 curry leaves. I will try that tonight.
Hi Eve, it’s a different flavour unfortunately but I’d love to know how you went! N x
Hi Nagi and Dozer! I made this Thoran Style Cabbage and Carrot Salad the other night to accompany a chicken curry and it was dee-lish! The only substitute I had to make was to use a neutral oil (rice bran oil) instead of coconut oil since I didn’t have any on hand, but it was still great. We had quite a bit left over and since you suggested it didn’t reheat that well but I certainly didn’t want to waste it, the next day, I just popped it in the microwave for 30 seconds to take the chill off it without heating it, then squeezed lemon juice over it just before serving it and it was perfect. It may even have been better than the day before since the flavours had time to develop but it was still crunchy. Now I’m looking forward to trying it again with coconut oil to taste the difference 🙂 My new favourite salad – thank-you!
Just wow! This is a 10/10!
My husband cooks on weekends and he enjoys cooking Indian. I suggested the paneer recipe from last week but we couldn’t find English spinach anywhere so we decided on tandoori lamb chops and the Thoran style Cabbage and Carrot Salad.
Imagine that…a salad using Indian spices. It was a hit and we had enough left over for lunch the next day (and it still tasted super!).
My hubby’s comment was ‘we can always rely on Nagi’s recipes’. 🙂
He has cooked many of your recipes…although I am the one who downloads them!
By the way…do you have a recipe for tandoori lamb chops? We kinda made ours up based on ones we used to get at a now closed restaurant. We would love an authentic recipe please.
Very good, loved the spice mixture and would have liked more sauce/liquid to coat the vegetables.
I noticed on one review they threw the vegetables in the pan for a bit. I would try that next time.
Thank you
Wow a dish frm kerala.. Part of South India.. Thoran is a part of everyday lunch at home…the traditional way is only Lil diff.. We cook the veggies after crackling mustard chilli curryleaves and add coconut only towards the end… I use frozen Grated coconut as its closer to the fresh coconut taste… BTW.. I love ur recipes n have tried the chocolate cake and laksa wth great success…tx Nagi
Yes, I too was surprised to see a thoran from Kerala! Nagi, the one tip I would suggest is to try more recipes from Kerala – the little state from where pepper, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon were gifted to the world – I think you’d love the flavours which are very different from North Indian / punjabi foods, which are what most people in the “western world” equate with “Indian food”. I’m from Kerala and would never personally eat thoran with naan, samosas or palak paneer (all north indian foods). Instead, I would have it with rice, yoghurt and a kerala beef fry, fish fry or fish curry.
Going to make this weekend. Miss my video, though….
Made this for dinner yesterday with parathas (Indian bread). Loved this recipe – really easy, authentic and tastes great. I added the cabbage/carrot at the coconut step to let it cook for a bit with the lid on. I removed it while it still had some crunch to it. This way, it was great reheated the next day as well 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it Amanda, that’s awesome!! N x
Hi Nagi. A quick question. I absolutely do not like cooked spinach, fresh only! What would you recommend as a substitute? So many recipes that I would like to make, but there’s the spinach! I would appreciate your input! Give Dozer a kiss for me even though he is such a rascal!!
Hi Cherie, there’s no spinach in this salad! N x
Yes Nagi I know There was no spinach in that recipe but you had a different recipe in that post that called for it. Sorry for the confusion. Just looking for an alternative.
Hi Cherie, a substitute would really depend on the particular recipe to be honest! N x
Ok thanks Nagi. I was thinking maybe Swiss Chard or Kale?
Love Dozer throwing shade lol. Did I even say that right?! Either way, he’s quite the charming yet funny boy. He gets his mama’s humorous side.
😂 Yes he’s quite the character when he wants to be! N x
Oh Nagi – this is absolutely fabulous – methinks my favourite new recipe for weeks ! Love cabbage and carrot together in a number of recipes but have never found a recipe to combine it with coconut et al into a dry curry . . . this one will grace my table before I make the naan methinks !
It’s so amazing, a great side!! N x
Hi Nagi – this sounds like a terrific salad. Question: you say it doesn’t reheat very well. We eat a lot of curry and were just saying that when we take curry to work for lunch we don’t have enough vegs. Do you think I could make the sambal ahead and mix it with the cabbage and carrots in the morning before I leave the house. It seems a lot of work for every day but I could make enough salad for 2 or 3 days and combine an amount each day. What do you think?
Yes you could definitely do that Miriam – great idea! N x
Glad that Dozer had a good cleansing and will always have an appetite.
He will always live up to taste testing duties Naomi 😂 N x
This sounds delicious, I’ve been looking for a new ‘different’ recipe to go with curries, as I was getting bored with the usual.
It’s soooo good – you’re going to love it Colette! N x